Love Blossoms
by Cheyennes
Summary: I was never happy with the outcome of Tracey and Vachon's connection in the TV series. Here we get to see more emotional ties as Vachon helps Tracey recover from a recent attack.
1. Chapter 1

Javier Vachon was struggling with a nagging feeling. It had been bothering him for the last few hours and it just wouldn't go away. It was almost like someone was whispering fear into his mind. Fear?! He was a _**vampire**_! He and his kind inspired fear, they didn't normally feel it themselves. Unless of course you counted the three fears of all vampires: sunlight, sharp wooden stakes, and starvation. Since none of those three items was an immediate concern, that left him searching for the cause.

He had already checked in on Urs and his other vampire acquaintances and they all had been just fine. After racking his brain for another possibility, he found himself at the door of his one mortal friend. A friend who might become _more_ than just a friend. In fact, even though he hated to admit it, even to himself, Tracy was already more than just a friend in his mind.

His brisk knock went unanswered. It was nighttime, she was probably out working a case with her partner. Yet he couldn't seem to get the feeling of unease to release him.

Closing his eyes, he reached out with his senses and smelled. . . . . blood. Blood?!! With the strength of his kind, he quickly twisted and broke the doorknob. Pushing the door inward, he noticed the signs of an intense struggle. Furniture had been tipped over, knick knacks had been smashed, and pieces of fabric were strewn throughout the room. He couldn't believe that none of the neighbors had heard the noise and called 911. Yet, they must not have, or else cops would be swarming the place.

Stepping into the darkness, he allowed the front door to swing shut behind him. The smell of blood became more intense in the now enclosed space. He knew that sweet smelling blood belonged to only one person.

"Tracy?" he called out quietly.

There was no response but he knew she was in the apartment. Again he reached out with his heightened senses and could hear the sound of a rapid heartbeat with a somewhat irregular rhythm. He followed the sound to the closed doors of the living room closet. He noted the pile of ash in front of those doors. Ash that looked to have been a vampire just a short time ago. Skirting the pile, he pushed the closet doors open and gently called out again,

"Tracy?"

In the blackness of the small space, he could see her huddled in the corner. She was wearing the remains of a white shirt and her arms were wrapped around her drawn up knees. Her chin was resting atop those knees and her eyes were unfocused and glazed. He crouched down to her level and reached out to her. Quickly he checked the pulse at her neck and drew back fingers coated with some congealing blood. Obviously the vampire had gotten lucky before Tracy had finished him off.

"I'm going to pick you up and bring you out into the living room. I want to get a closer look at you, okay?" he said quietly from his crouched position.

There was no answer or change in her body posture. It was so odd because Tracy was a talker. Silence was not her thing and neither was quietly taking orders.

Sliding one arm under her knees and the other around her back, he easily lifted her and walked back out into the living room. Turning on a small wall sconce, he settled with Tracy into the one chair still in an upright position. It took some maneuvering to get them both into the rocking chair. It really wasn't made for a large man, yet alone a large man with a woman on his lap. In the gentle light he looked Tracy over. She had multiple bruises and abrasions. Her skin was damp and cool to the touch. Her fingernails were ragged and there was blood caked blood beneath them. Clearly she had put up quite a battle and he considered himself fortunate that she had won. Normally a mortal was no match for a vampire, but he wouldn't exactly consider Tracy a normal mortal. She was a woman with a lot of spunk and a lot of desire to enjoy life to it's fullest. Plus, knowing about vampires, took away the shock factor. That probably allowed her to react faster than someone who knew nothing about them.  
He returned to his exam in order to determine what type of care she needed first. Tracy's first independent motion was a jerking movement away from him when he pulled the shirt collar away from her neck. He held her head still in order to see that there were two deep puncture wounds on the left side of her neck. They were torn and ragged as if she had continued to fight her attacker even after his fangs were in her neck. He imagined that was probably when she had managed to strike the fatal blow.

Fury rose up in him from a place he hadn't even known existed within himself. Another vampire had marked someone that was "his". If the vampire attacker hadn't been dead already, Vachon definitely would have been out hunting. Normally he wasn't one to get roused into action, but this was a special case that would have warranted a swift and deadly response.

Pulling his thoughts back to the immediate needs, he knew Tracy needed to see a doctor but he didn't want to take her to the local hospital. First, he wasn't sure he could explain the wounds to an inquisitive medical staff and second he wanted to be able to watch over her. As it was, he felt he had already failed her. He turned her slightly so he could look into her pale face and glazed eyes.

"Everything is going to be okay now. You won the fight. You're safe and I'm going to stay with you until you're feeling better. But first, I'm going to put you in this chair and go use your phone to make a couple of calls."

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Tracy felt out of touch with reality. Her vision was blurry and it seemed like time was moving in fits and starts. She recognized Vachon's voice and that his words and actions were meant to be comforting. She realized that she wasn't thinking clearly when she couldn't remember anything since earlier in the morning. Her mind felt disconnected from the rest of the world and her body ached like she'd just gone several rounds with a professional boxer. When she saw Vachon move away from her, she could hear her teeth beginning to chatter. She was suddenly so cold. She hadn't noticed the sensation until Vachon was no longer holding her. Fortunately, it seemed like only seconds had passed before a warm blanket was draped around her and she was lifted up into his arms. She made eye contact with him for a moment before settling her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. She sighed just one word and then let the darkness roll over her.

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	2. Chapter 2

"Safe" was a word that few people had ever used in Vachon's presence. Yet it was the one word Tracy had said before giving up the fight to hold onto consciousness. It wasn't that people thought he was dangerous but rather that no one saw him as a protective personality. Heck, he didn't consider himself as protective, but that had all changed at the sight of Tracy's wounds. Now he was taking her back to his church, to watch over her, until she was well enough to watch her own back. She had racked up enough mortal enemies as a cop that he didn't feel comfortable leaving her unattended. Plus, there was the danger that more of his enemies might be lurking around. In her present condition, she wouldn't have a chance of survival.

He had already spoken to her police partner and his fellow vampire, Nick Knight, and told him what appeared to have happened. While Nick's voice hadn't sounded too happy, he had promised to join them after making their Captain aware that Tracy had fallen ill. He also indicated that he would bring his human doctor friend along to assess Tracy's condition. It was a risk, because Tracy might discover Nick's secret, but they would just have to deal with it, if and when that happened.

Holding Tracey securely in his arms, he flew the short distance to his home. He had just finished settling her into his bed when he felt the approach of another of his kind. Mere seconds later the sound of Nick's voice echoed up the stairwell as he helped the doctor manage the rickety stairs. Vachon pulled the covers up to Tracy's chin, bushed a kiss across her forehead, and walked away to meet his visitors. He held out his hand as the reached the top stair.

"Thanks for coming, Knight."

"What the hell happened?" Nick inquired hotly.

Vachon responded in the calmest voice he could manage, "I know no more than I did when I called. It looks like she's been attacked by one of our kind but she hasn't exactly been verbal yet. I expect that'll change when she's feeling better."

Stepping around them, Natalie said, "If you gentleman wouldn't mind, I'd like to see my patient. Her needs are more important than any explanation."

She approached the bed in the far corner of the room and noted Tracy's paleness and the rapid pulse at her neck.

"Nick, you and Tracy's friend stay over there while I examine her."

"Why?" both men asked simultaneously.

"Let's leave the girl some dignity. I don't think she'd be happy if either of you saw her unclothed. I'm going to need to undress her to do a complete exam."

"Oh, okay," was the muttered response from both.

Natalie gently undressed Tracy, noting the extensive bruising, and tried to be extra careful not to jar her unnecessarily. She kept up a steady stream of conversation in case Tracy could hear her.

A half hour later she came to the conclusion that blood loss was Tracey's primary problem with a probable concussion being a secondary concern. Natalie also expected some mental trauma but knew she really wasn't qualified to handle that. Tonight, she'd stick to what she could handle.

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On the other side of the room, Vachon paced while he listened to the murmurings of the doctor. He was certain they were reassuring statements. He didn't really know why she was bothering since Tracy was totally out of it. In fact that very level of vulnerability was disturbing him greatly. Even though he knew Tracey needed he doctor, he'd be much happier when they both left . He wanted to watch over her himself.

From his side of the room, he watched as the equipment for a blood transfusion was set up. Once that was running to the doctor's satisfaction, she waved them both over.

"What's the verdict, doc?", Vachon asked.

"Blood loss seems to be the biggest concern. I also think she might have a concussion. Otherwise, everything else will just need time to heal, including whatever fears may surface from the actual incident."

"What do I need to do for her while she's here?"

"You're planning on keeping her. . . . _**here**_. . . . with _**you**_?" Nick asked in surprise.

"Yes, Knight. I'm going to keep her _**here**_ with _**me**_. I can handle her. She likes me, and trusts me, and I think she'll feel safe here."

"I'm sure you're right. I'm just surprised that you offered."

Vahon took a few seconds to compose his thoughts before replying, "I'm done running from my responsibilities. I can't imagine that the attack on Tracy was random. Obviously, someone else knows that she knows what I am, and they were banking on me finding her. She was probably supposed to be a message to me but I'm fairly certain they thought she would be an easier target than she was."

Nick looked at him speculatively and Vachon was somewhat offended. He could tell that the detective didn't want to leave his partner here. It was clear Knight didn't really trust him to provide her care. But at the same time, what was the alternative? Nick caring for her?

"Vachon, if anything else happens to her, I'll have your head."

"I understand. She'll be fine."


End file.
